Saints make it official, hire Rob Ryan

The New Orleans Saints made it official this morning with the hiring of Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator, giving the team its third in three seasons and fourth overall under Sean Payton.

Ryan interviewed for the job on Friday, a little more than a week after his apparent hiring in St. Louis with the Rams fell apart. The Saints are expected to transition to a 3-4 defense with their new coordinator. The Saints also hired Stan Kwan as an assistant special teams coach.

“I'm pleased the opportunity has presented itself for us to be able to add both Rob Ryan and Stan Kwan to our coaching staff,” Payton said in a statement released by the club. “In regards to Rob, we have experience in preparing and playing against his defenses and they've always been challenging in terms of the different looks and pressures that they feature. We've had the chance to visit with each other and talk about our visions for our team and I'm excited about moving forward as we prepare for the 2013 season.

“Rob is enthusiastic about joining our team and getting right to work. Stan is a veteran coach that understands all nuances of the special teams games and will work closely with Greg McMahon. He has a wealth of knowledge and I believe he will be a good fit on our staff.”

This is Ryan’s fourth stop as defensive coordinator. He has held the position previously in Dallas, Cleveland and Oakland. Of course, after he was terminated last month by the Cowboys he said he would have a new gig within “five minutes.” So, it’s time in again for Ryan as he had to pause his stopwatch long ago.

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